San Antonio’s new Hippo has a family connection

SAN ANTONIO – The zoo has a new 1,200-pound family member. The as of yet unnamed male hippo arrived at the San Antonio zoo last week.

The zoo says the two-year-old hippo comes from the ABQ BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They tell us he’s healthy and is getting acquainted with his new surroundings. He’s also getting a chance to meet Uma, his grandmother who is already an institution here in San Antonio.

It has been about 16 years since the zoo has had a young hippo in its care and that hippo was Uma and Tumbo’s daughter, Karen. This new hippo is the son of Karen and Moe from ABQ BioPark Zoo.

“At this time, he is doing great and we couldn’t be happier to welcome him to our family and ultimately introduce him to his grandmother, Uma,” said Alan Kardon, Vice President of Animal Care at San Antonio Zoo. “We are looking forward to sharing him with our guests in the weeks to come.”

The new hippo is not yet on exhibit. The veterinary team will first perform a full assessment and daily check-ups before he’s allowed to meet his public.

Hippos are the world’s third-largest land mammal, but their population has been dwindling.